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Fisher Body Numbers

Fisher Body and Chevrolet were two companies often located at the same physical plant location. Through the 1968 model year, Fisher Body would assign body numbers to different series/body style based on that series/body style. Malibu sport coupes, 300 Deluxe and Malibu 4-door sedans were the most popular body styles from 1964 through 1968. Since body members were assigned by series/body style a Malibu sport coupe would have a much higher body number than, say, a Malibu station wagon built in same timeframe simply because more Malibu sport coupes would have been built than Malibu station wagons up to that point.

Beginning with the 1969 model year, Fisher Body and Chevrolet 'merged' to form the General Motors Assembly Division, or GMAD. Plants operated under Chevrolet Assembly management prior to 1969 but was restructured to GMAD. The terminology is confusing because most plants assembled more than just Chevrolet or Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac (B-O-P), and refers to the management structure only. The five brands originated vehicles from their respective "home" plants, where vehicles were assembled locally for their respective regions. Vehicles were also produced in "knock-down" kits and sent to the branch assembly locations. The "home" branches for both Buick and Chevrolet were in were Flint, Michigan at two separate locations; Oldsmobile at Lansing, Michigan; Pontiac at Pontiac, Michigan; and Cadillac at Detroit, Michigan.

The move was designed to cut costs. Each assembly plant was given a block of data processing numbers for assembly. This eliminated the series/body style differences in body numbers. You will normally find these data processing numbers on the build sheets of 1969-1972 Chevelles. Sometimes the body number on the Fisher Body Number Plate will match the body number of its build sheet, sometimes not. Sometimes assembly plants generated their own body number.
* Atlanta - Atlanta (Lakewood) generated their own body number and this number from box #8 was used on the trim tag.
* Baltimore - Baltimore generated their own body number but used the first six-digit number from box #24 on the trim tag. Baltimore often repeated the body number in box #9.
* Kansas City - Kansas City (Leed's) used the same first six-digit number from box #24 on the trim tag and this same six-digit number is repeated in box #8.
* Van Nuys - Van Nuys (Los Angeles) generated their own body number and this number from box #8 was used on the trim tag. Van Nuys also used the six-digit number from box #24 on their trim tags as the fist six-digit number after the body date.

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